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CSX conductor dragged, killed Smith had been with the CSX since November 1999. She formerly was secretary to the trainmaster for the Lake Terminal Railroad in Lorain, Ohio, which went out of business about two years ago. Smith was going on duty at about 1:05 a.m. at the Park Manor yard in Chicago when the accident occurred. Smith reportedly was carrying a lunch bag in one hand, a grip in the other and a backpack/duffelbag over her shoulder. As she turned to mount her widebody locomotive, the snowplow of the lead NS engine, which was traveling about 35 mph on an adjacent track, reportedly snared one of the backpack's straps and Smith perished beneath the wheels of the locomotive. According to reports, the NS engines' headlight was on dim, and neither the bell nor whistle were being operated. Local 586 President Larry Valentine says the carrier requires conductors to carry rule books, time tables, bulletins and track orders, and that "you could easily fill one bag with just paperwork." He said that, because of the time the carriers force employees to stay away from home, often for days at a time, most railroad operating employees are forced to carry at least two bags, "and some are giant bags." "The railroads require our people to carry too much stuff," Florida State Legislative Director Carl Cochran commented. Cochran also questioned whether Smith lost her balance because of unsafe footing. "The railroads have got to provide their employees with a safe place to work," Cochran stressed. "We hear too often about unsafe railroad working conditions that are not corrected." As one observer noted, "One slip, one second, one mistake, one lapse, one misjudgment, one life." Smith leaves behind a husband, 15-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son. Her brother also works for CSX out of Willard. |
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